One Day at a Time
by LunaRyuu
Summary: Meet Ruby, a young woman forced to live the dark, dirty life of a harlot. Her life will be forever changed after a chance encounter with the one man who saw more than just a pretty face.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Zelda.

A/N: This is going to be a mature fic in the beginning chapters, and then as the story comes along the sorta R rated stuff will be much much less often. I was inspired to start writing this after watching the episode of Samurai Champloo where Jin falls in love with the woman who had to start working at a brothel to pay off her husband's debt.

One Day at a Time

Chapter 1

The smell of strong perfume and liquor filled the air of the small room where a large group of rowdy middle-aged men sat impatiently waiting to be serviced. The demographics ranged from merchants to knights of the Hyrulean army, but in this room that promised sinful pleasures in due time, they all melded together. Here, in the brothel, there were no social statures. Only rupees determined how good of a time you could have.

A man around the age of forty entered the room flanked by two veteran girls. His appearance, to put it simply, was slimy: greased back black hair, sunken in eye sockets holding dull lascivious eyes, pale complexion, and an emaciated body structure. He wore robes that were at least three sizes too big, giving him the appearance of a person being drowned by his own clothing. He seemed to be the owner of this raunchy establishment.

"Ah welcome! Welcome! We will have a girl ready to serve each and everyone one of you as soon as possible," he said, rubbing his hands from within his enormous sleeves together. "I have two veterans right here who are ready and willing to take the highest payer…" he added, gesturing to the girls at his sides.

The girl on the right, in her late twenties with long brown hair pulled up into a bun that had started to come undone, blew kisses at the boisterous crowd, receiving cheers and catcalls galore.

The girl on his left, about in her early twenties with medium length red hair tied into a long single braid, winked at the men and tugged down the strap of her dress, showing off her milky white skin. The cheers that exploded from this small display were nearly deafening.

"Eighty rupees!" a man in the corner cried out, holding his jingling Adult's Wallet.

The owner's mouth twisted into a nasty scowl. "Eighty rupees? Why that is an insult to these fine young girls here! At the very least 150!"

"170!"

"190!"

"250!"

The slimy proprietor's lips curled upwards. "Ah, 250 it is!" he said.

The man who had called out the large sum hopped drunkenly out of his seat with a loud whoop and hobbled over to the owner and the two ladies of the night. The slimy vendor rubbed his hands together gleefully as the drunk handed over the money.

"Now which lady which you like to service you tonight?" he asked, gesturing to both of them in turn.

A large stupid grin formed on the drunk's face and he stumbled toward the redhead. "I like me some redheadssss," he slurred, grabbing her by the wrist.

A seductive smirk came to the redhead's lips as she led the man to a room.

After the brunette was "auctioned" off in the same manner, the proprietor began to have the rooms prepared for the other customers. He paraded several more younger girls out for the sinful patrons to choose from until the room was much quieter; as most of them had now been taken to a room to get their money's worth of kicks.

---

Outside, the rain pours heavily down upon a pair of cloaked figures as they run through the streets. Finding cover beneath the awning of a building, they stop to catch their breath. One of them, a man in his early twenties with dark brown hair and friendly green eyes leans back against the siding of the building and grins at his younger companion who is bent forward panting heavily.

"Well that was fun, don't you think?" he said cheerfully between breaths.

The younger man glared up at him through wet golden blond bangs with large childish dark blue eyes.

"No!" he snapped back, causing his older companion to burst into laughter.

The two of them had just barely escaped the wrath of the bartender at the local tavern. The young man with dark brown hair, who went by the name of Evan, had been drinking up a storm and picking fights with the other customers. When he jumped up on the counter and started shouting out obscenities, that was when the bartender had the last straw. The two of them had barely gotten away unscathed.

The younger blond man stood up straight, watching his friend who was leaning against the building with his foot planted firmly on the wall behind him. Admiration lit up beneath the anger and annoyance he felt towards him. Even after drinking so much, he was able to stand up straight and sturdy.

Evan glanced over at his companion and grinned. "Hey Link…come with me. I know this place where we can have some fun…" he said winking.

Link blushed, knowing immediately what kind of fun Evan was alluding to. He shook his head vigorously and resolutely. "No way! I know exactly what you're talking about and I'm not going!" he protested.

Evan pulled the younger man into a headlock. "Come now, Link. These are our last few free nights before we have to get back to our duty. We gotta have a little fun!"

"We've had enough fun for tonight!" Link growled in reply.

Evan smirked, dragging Link off down the street. "Maybe _I_ have, but _you_ certainly haven't."

---

The strong smell of perfume struck Link in the face the moment he stepped inside of the crude and gaudy establishment. The walls were splashed with a sickening bright pink and colorful lamps hung from the ceiling, giving off a faint but irritating light. The room the two of them had stepped into was square shaped with small cushions and sofas for waiting customers to sit upon. Directly before them was a hallway that had many different rooms on both sides and a single door down at the other end. The doors, Link noticed with a pounding heart, were all closed.

Evan flopped contentedly into a sofa and patted the seat beside him for Link to sit down as well. The blond reluctantly complied, sitting uncomfortably stiff on the soft cushion.

His hands were folded in his lap and he bent his head down, determined to not make eye contact with anyone who happened to enter. His face was aflame with embarrassment and shame and he began to curse Evan to hell.

"I can't _believe_ you dragged me here," Link hissed out of the corner of his mouth.

Beside him, Evan grinned lazily, looking half-asleep. "You'll thank me once you get a room," he replied, causing Link to blush, if possible, harder.

The door at the far end of the hallway flung open just then and a greasy man entered the room, pleased to see more customers.

"Ah welcome! Welcome! I am Laris, proprietor of this establishment. How may my girls serve you tonight?" he greeted, rubbing his hands together.

Link grated his teeth against each other at the sound of his voice and gripped his knees tightly in his hands.

Evan leaned forward, clasping his hands together, like one who is about to make a business proposal. "Give me a real wild one," he said, winking.

Laris's face split into a wide grin, making Link extremely uncomfortable. "Of course sir. And for your friend…?"

Link started at the mention of himself and flinched when Evan slapped him on the back. "Give him a nice cute one," Evan replied, rubbing Link's back, much to the blonde's dismay.

"N-no!" Link blurted out.

Evan and Laris looked at him funny. "No sir? Then you wish for a wild one as well?" Laris asked.

A deep red blush crept up Link's neck. "N-no! That's not what I meant!" he protested to deaf ears.

The sleazy owner held up his index finger, looking excited. "Ah! I have just the one for you!" he said, speaking as if selling clothing to the young men. He held out his hand, as if expecting something. "But you must pay first!"

Evan reached into his satchel and tossed the owner a bag of rupees, which Laris caught unusually deftly. He weighed it in his hands thoughtfully, then smirked, satisfied.

The moment Laris disappeared into one of the hallway rooms, Link turned vehemently to his fellow companion. "I hate you!" he growled.

Evan grinned broadly waving a hand dismissively. "Come now. You're acting like I brought you to a torture chamber. Relaaaaaax!"

"How do you expect me to relax in a _bro_-"

"I have returned with your women!" Laris proclaimed, reentering the room. Two young women stood on either side of him; the one to his left was a beautiful brunette with full curves and eyes like a feline and the one to his right was a young girl who looked no older than sixteen with long golden blond tresses that framed her childish face. Link's breath was caught in his throat as he looked her over.

'She's so young…' he thought, with a bit of a shudder.

"This is Salienne. She will be with you sir," Laris said to Evan, gesturing to the brunette.

Evan let out an excited whoop and held out his elbow for her to grab, which she did more than happily. They walked off to their room and closed the door with a slam; Link flinched.

He gulped and turned to Laris and the remaining girl, whom was obviously for him.

Laris inclined his eyebrows. "And this, sir, is Ruby. A favorite of the house…I'm sure she will please you," he said, a lewd smirk forming on his thin lips.

He pushed the girl, who held her head down, towards Link. Laris folded his hands together. "Have fun!" he said in a sing-song voice, disappearing into the room at the opposite end of the hall.

The silence in the room was deafening as the two blondes stood alone in the square lobby. Link tried looking everywhere _but_ at the young girl who was to be…_his_ tonight. He cleared his throat uncomfortably, and after what felt like an eternity, the young girl mumbled something too soft for Link to hear.

Link blinked. "What?" he asked.

"Come…" she repeated, turning her back on him and entering the first room on the right.

Link followed nervously after and wearily shut the door behind him. He set down his sword and satchel, (bringing his shield would have identified him to any passersby) and stood idly by the door.

She stood in the center of the room, with her back still to him. Now that they were alone, he let his eyes wander as he looked the young girl over. She wore a simple, shapeless gray dress that at one point most likely had been white. Despite her childish facial features, she had curves like a woman. Her long slim legs plumped up at the thighs, but not so much that it was unattractive. Her arms were thin and marked with red spots that Link had a feeling were from bruises inflicted be her other…clients.

Link gulped. 'What am I supposed to do?' he thought in a panic.

As if to answer his question, Ruby brought her small hands up to her shoulders where the strap for her dress were and slid them down, letting her dress fall to the floor and pool around her ankles.

Link's mouth dropped open as he stared upon her unclothed nubile body. She turned around, a light shameful blush upon her cheeks, and sat down on the edge of the mat in-between them. Link plopped down clumsily on the opposite end, unsure of what to do.

She raised her eyes to him for the first time and Link nearly gasped aloud as he stared into their crimson depths. They held the saddest expression, so dejected and downcast that he could feel the despondency creeping into his own body. He quickly shook the feeling away and opened his mouth to speak, but his mind was completely blank.

Seeing Link hesitating, she took the initiative and leaned forward, placing soft kisses upon the sensitive skin of his neck. He stiffened upon contact and averted his head, feeling the shame sink into his body with every kiss.

She crawled closer, practically sitting in his lap and brought a small hand up to caress his cheek and tilt his head to give her more access to his neck. Link closed his eyes, still on the borderline of discomfort and content.

'This isn't so bad…' he thought.

He reached a hand up to run through her soft yellow tresses. She made a soft moan and shuffled closer. She let her other hand trail down his chest and come to rest in his lap. Shyly, and almost unsurely, she cupped her young fingers against his pelvis.

Link yelped immediately and jerked away. He stared at her with gaping eyes, and reality came crashing down around him. He gripped his forehead, looking distressed. "What am I doing…this is so wrong," he murmured to himself.

Ruby sat back on her heels, waiting patiently for him to make a move; and make a move he did.

Link stood to his feet, his bangs casting a shadow over his eyes. "I'm sorry miss, but I can't do this. I'm sorry for wasting your time…" Link said stiffly. He picked up his things and left, his face still aflame.

---

For nearly an hour, Link waited out in the square parlor for Evan to finish up. When the door to his room finally opened and the older brunette staggered out, looking for all the world like a man who had gotten his birthday present early, Link shot up from his seat and dragged him out.

Outside, the rain had let up quite a bit and was now reduced to a light drizzle. Link continued to pull Evan down the back ways to the castle, ignoring his protests. The blond was in a bit of a sour mood and wasn't about to be deterred.

When they reached their rooms, Link dumped Evan onto his bed and then stalked out to head for his own room across the hall. The blond hero flopped onto his bed and silently fumed.

'I'll give him a piece of my mind in the morning!' Link thought furiously, tugging off his boots and flinging them into the darkness of his room. The moment his head hit the pillows though, he was fast asleep.

---

Read and Reviewww!

LunaRyuu


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Me no own Zelda.

A/N: Thank you for the reviews. I am ever grateful. (bows graciously) Syran is the name I have given to the equivalent of Satan in Hyrule.

Chapter 2

The sound of Evan's spoon landing with a clatter into his half-empty soup bowl made Link flinch.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN-" the elder knight began loudly, paused when several people glanced puzzledly over at him, then leaned forward and started again in a lower voice, "What do you mean you didn't sleep with her? You didn't do _anything_?"

Link shook his head, his eyes staring intently at his steak dinner in his plate. "No."

"_Nothing_?"

"_No_," Link repeated firmly, clutching his fork tightly in his left hand. He raised blazing blue eyes up at the brunette.

"Did you see how young she was? I…._couldn't_ have anyway…" Link trailed off while picking absently at his meat.

Evan sat back in his chair and ran his fingers through his brown locks. "Well if you weren't gonna do it you shoulda _told_ me Link…I wouldn't have minded a second girl…" he said.

Link shot him a glare. "She was way too young for you!" the blond hissed back.

Evan glared back, and then the two of them continued eating in silence in the nearly vacant mess hall. It was an uncomfortable silence; especially since Link had more to say but he had basically left no more room for discussion with his last comment.

After multiple sighs, Evan dropped his silverware into his bowl and slammed his hands onto the table. "What is it Link?" he growled, tired of hearing Link's moans.

Link absent-mindedly raked his fork along the surface of his meat before finally opening his mouth. "I've been thinking…" he began, and his elder immediately rolled his eyes.

"That girl -her name was Ruby- she didn't seem like the other harlots," he blushed at the word, "She seemed…different…"

Evan rapped his fingers rhythmically on the table. "Oh? How so?" he inquired.

Link stared thoughtfully down at his plate. "Her eyes…they weren't empty like the other girls' were… They were full of sadness…like…well, I dunno…" He glanced up at his companion whom was looking at him funny.

Evan smirked. "You're so naïve, Link…but that's what I like about you!" the older man began, punching the blond in the arm from across the table. His expression suddenly turned grim and his voice became solemn.

"Don't worry about her Link, it's a waste of time. All harlots sell their souls to Syran; that's just common knowledge. That is the path that has been set for them now and there's nothing _we_ can do about it."

Link's eyes widened, then he looked away. "She doesn't belong there…" he muttered dejectedly.

Evan reached across the table again, this time to pat Link on the shoulder. "Don't worry about her ok? In a few days time you'll forget all about this," the brunette said. He placed his silverware into his empty soup bowl and stood up. "I'll see you later Link, I've got a bit of work to do."

Link watched him go, scorning the very thought of just simply forgetting about Ruby. Those eyes would be forever imprinted into his memory.

---

Like a zombie, Link slumped thoughtlessly down the cold grey halls of the castle. His mind was elsewhere: on what to do with the rest of his vacation, when would be the next time he could leave the castle to visit Malon, wanted to forget about her, like Evan had told him he would; he really did. But he couldn't stop his mind from wandering to that night, that shameful stormy night. Of course he hadn't committed a shameful act per se, but he considered even stepping foot in such a foul place was dishonorable in itself.

He rounded a corner, his eyes practically closed and his head downcast, when he rammed right into someone who had been coming around the corner at the same time. The other person stumbled backwards, and upon instinct, Link reached out and grabbed his or her arm before he or she could fall to the floor.

"Ack!" was the rather feminine sounding voice that was elicited from the figure. Link blinked in surprise as his eyes finally focused on the lovely young face of the Princess of Hyrule.

"Z-Zelda!" Link exclaimed, feeling his face grow warm with embarrassment. "S-sorry about that…I wasn't watching where I was going," he apologized clumsily, bending down to pick up several of the papers she had dropped.

The tomboyish princess placed a hand on her hip and tutted softly. "And _you_ are protecting my country," she said, shaking her head in a mockingly disappointed way. Link scratched the back of his head, smiling sheepishly.

She smiled and tapped him on the side of his elbow with her knuckles. "When are you going to be back on duty?" she asked.

"Day after tomorrow," Link replied, tiredly running a gloved hand through his golden locks.

She frowned a little, but still maintained her cheery mood. "So soon? You knights are so overworked! I mean look at you! You're practically a zombie!" she laughed, giving him a playful shove. Link, too tired and not all too caring of being shoved anyway, took a step back to steady himself.

Zelda tilted her lovely blonde head to the side and eyed him up and down. "I think I might ask my father to give you more time off," she said.

Link immediately shook his head. "No! Princess, that's alright. I…don't want to be treated differently from the other knights," he replied quickly.

The Hyrulean Princess placed her hands on her hips. "You saved our country from an evil wizard and became a great hero and you don't want to be treated differently?" she asked in incredulity.

Link smiled halfheartedly. "It may sound silly to you or to anyone else, but that's how I want things. I don't particularly want to stand out…even more so than I already do…"

He looked thoughtfully down at the princess, whom was about a head shorter than him. He grasped her white gloved hand in his own. "I'll be fine, ok? Don't worry about me. I'll be in tip-top shape by the time my vacation is over," he said, managing a small smile.

Zelda smiled back and squeezed his hand. "Alright. But you take it easy, ok?"

Link nodded and maneuvered around her to continue on his way. "I will Princess."

---

He had wasted the entire day away, much to his chagrin. The sun was already setting and darkness had settled into his room. He was much too comfortable on his bed, staring up at the ceiling, to light a candle, nor did he really need the illumination anyway.

Although Link had been most content in his bed and inactive for quite some time, he still hadn't managed to fall asleep; not that he hadn't tried. Whenever he closed his eyes, he was met with large crimson red orbs, as if someone with red eyes were lying just above him. The intensity of the emotion he felt in those eyes made him shiver in empathy.

"So sad…" were the words that escaped Link's lips involuntarily. They were uttered so low that even if someone had been lying beside him, they would not have heard him speak. Still, the embarrassment crept to Link's face and he twisted this way and that, as if physically trying to remove the thoughts of her from his mind.

The blond hero shut his eyes tightly then rolled over and pressed his face into his pillow. He gripped the pillow's soft cover tightly into his fists then brought the edges of the pillow up to cover his ears. After lying like this for several minutes, he lifted his head up and gasped for air.

"Damnit!" he cursed frustratedly, throwing his pillow to the side. "The only way I can get rid of these thoughts is to confront them," he said to himself. He turned to glance out the window as the crescent moon illuminated the sky.

Link sighed and began searching for his boots.

---

Sawwy for the wait! I felt kinda uninspired for a while to write this, and I kinda still do, but I still have ideas and stuff, up to a point. Next chapter is gonna have a bit of sexual content in it. Not so much that is illegal on the site but some lol. Expect to see more soon D

-LunaRyuu


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Me no own Zelda.

A/N: Woo! Been a while huh? Remember that warning I had from the last chapter? Well I lied.

Chapter 3

The young Hylian hero tethered his trusted mare by the shady establishment, patting her mane and nose; anything to stall for when he would have to enter the building. He sighed; when Epona grew impatient with his constant pettings and pushed his hand away, he knew it was probably time to get a move on.

The blond knight pushed the door open and stepped inside of the familiar heavily perfumed square parlor. There were only two other patrons waiting to be serviced and neither even looked up when he entered. Even so, Link kept his hood on, casting shadows over his famous features.

The slimy owner entered the room and immediately recognized Link, despite dressing incognito, and made his way over. Link grimaced. "Ah! Welcome back sir! I see my dear Ruby has you hooked hmm? Would you like another go at her?" Laris inquired, rubbing his hands together.

Link squirmed uncomfortably at his terminology and gathered up from the depths of his soul the courage to respond in kind. "Y-yes…I would like to….see her again…if I could…" He gulped, hoping he had sounded convincing.

Laris smirked. "I shall prepare a room for you." He rushed off, first sending two girls for the earlier patrons and then headed into a room to set it up for the hero.

Link couldn't believe what he was doing. 'What am I going to do once I'm in the room alone with her? I…couldn't sleep with her…I'd be too nervous and she's so young and I want my first time to be with a woman I love and-'

The hero's blabbering thoughts were cut off as the proprietor returned and ushered him eagerly into the room he had prepared. Link was practically pushed into the room with the young girl that had captivated him with those large sullen crimson eyes and the door was shut firmly behind him.

Link winced, wondering how he had gotten himself into such a mess. Ruby sat on the mat in the center of the room with her back to him. The blond hero cleared his throat, as a gesture to get her attention, but also because he was a nervous wreck; he was surprised his palms weren't dripping sweat onto the floor.

Ruby slowly twisted her neck to glance back at him. He watched her, noting with a small amount of satisfaction that she recognized him. Link stared blushingly as her long golden tresses cascaded over her bare pale shoulder. He found himself creeping towards her and was finally aware of his actions when he sat down behind her.

When he had gotten close, the young concubine faced away from him, her breathing also growing quicker. Her heart was pounding in her tiny chest. He was back. What if this time he wasn't going to leave her untouched? What if this time he planned to claim her?

"I…I haven't been able to…stop thinking about you since I left last night…" Link began, all too aware of how his statement could be taken the wrong way and cause her to fear him even more than he could tell she already did.

He noticed her stiffening and he continued on to get his point across to her. "And I couldn't get over how your eyes were so filled with sadness…different from the other…harlots." Link cringed at the word, hating it more and more every time he even thought about it.

"My…friend told me to stop worrying about you, that you're no different from the others, but I think you are. And I…I don't believe you belong here!" The last statement the young blond had blurted out without really thinking about it first, but once it was out, there was no taking it back.

Ruby whirled around, staring at him with wide, surprised eyes. She didn't speak, but Link could tell she was taken quite off guard. He scratched the back of his head, unsure of what to do now. Every sensitive hair on his body stood on end when he was suddenly aware of her crawling towards him in an innocently seductive manner.

She moved her head very close to his, her face scrunched up into a childlike expression. "You would…set me free?" she asked softly, the first sentence Link had heard her utter.

The semi-aroused young man's eyes fell upon her full pink lips as she spoke, unable to tear his eyes away. He felt ashamed and elated at the same time, a horrible combination in his opinion. "I…um…" he blubbered, his brain a bowl of mush.

She pulled away, looking dejectedly to the side. "Forgive me…it was foolish of me to be hopeful of such a thing. I am worth nothing more than trash. I am not worth freeing."

Link's eyes widened and he felt a tug on his heartstrings. It wasn't just her words that had hit him hard, it was the way she said it; as if it was complete and utter truth, like she wholly believed the statement to be fact. Link shook his head. He was not going to have her saying such things about herself in his presence!

He grasped her arm firmly, but not so tight as to hurt her. "No! You are _not_ trash. Everyone is worth something. You _are_ worth freeing!" He was pleased to see her taken aback by his reply. He wanted her to believe that he was someone she could trust.

Link stood to his feet, surveying the room. In a bout of recklessness, he strode over to the window and forced it open, glancing out to see if there was anyone out on the street. Seeing the coast was clear, he motioned to the young girl. "Come! I'm going to get you out of here!"

She didn't argue, and as she had next to no belongings, she hurried to his side completely prepared to escape. It wasn't until Link had climbed out of the window and felt the light weight of Ruby in his arms as he caught her, that he realized what a foolish mistake he was making. But as he stared into her large eyes, filled with excitement and anxiety, his hero instincts took over, leaving no room for argument.

This girl needed to be saved, and he was the one who was going to save her.

---

Pathetically short, I know, but I wanted to get something out to you since I haven't in awhile. As always reviews are greatly appreciated.

-LunaRyuu


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